Album Review

Let the Wind Blow is a pretty standard mid-'80s effort for the all-male vocal quartet the Imperials. The band's lineup was always a rotating door, but in 1985 the group consisted of Armond Morales, Jim Murray, David Will, and Paul Smith. The music is forgettably mild (by now, all but forgotten) gospel-pop written by a hodgepodge of familiar Christian Contempary devotees like Michael W. Smith, Teri DeSario Purse, and Keith Thomas. The arrangements are loaded with the tinny, cheap-sounding keyboards that dominated pop in the '80s, although "Miracles" features an almost — can this word really be applied to the Imperials? — funky bass intro. If you happen to come across a dust-covered copy in your church basement, you might consider throwing this one on.

Biography

Genre: Inspirational

Years Active: '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s

The Imperials have been making music since 1964 and have in that time undergone many personnel and stylistic changes before returning to the close harmonies and straight Southern gospel songs that originally made them popular. As of the mid-'90s, Armond Morales is the only charter member of the Imperials; he and Jake Hess founded the quintet. Over the years, 18 different singers have come and gone, including such legends...